J Strom Thurmond

James Strom Thurmond (1902-2003) a US Senator who served longer than any other in the history of the Senate. He represented South Carolina from 1954 until he retired at the age of 100. He was also a candidate for President in 1948 for the States' Rights Party and was Governor of South Carolina (1947-51). Thurmond began as a Democrat but later changed to the Republican Party.